Clothes-pin.



No. 728,824. k PATENTED MAY 26, 1903. A. w. ALEXANDER..

CLOTHES PINL APPLIOATION rmm ULY a1. 1902.

' el hiza m e ys UNITED STATES Patented May 26, 1903.

AMZI W. ALEXANDER, OF MOUNT HOLLY, NORTH CAROLINA.

CLOTH ES-PIN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 728,824, dated May 26, 1903.

Application filed July 31, 1902.

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, AMZI W. ALEXANDER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mount Holly, in the county of Gaston and State of North Carolina, have invented a new and useful Clothes-Pin, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices employed for the purpose of attaching clothes to lines while drying, more particularly to wire or other forms of metallic clothes-lines, and has for its object the production of a device simle in construction, movably engaged to the ins, and having two independent fastening means embraced in each of the devices, so that separate pieces of the clothing may be attached to orremoved from the opposite ends independently.

The invention consists in certain novel features of the construction, as hereinafter shown and described, and specified in the claims.

In the drawings illustrative of the invention, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device applied to a section of clothes-line. Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating a slight modification in the structure.

The clothes line is represented at 10, usually formed of wire of sufficient strength, and may be of a single thickness or oftwo or more wires twisted into a cable.

The device may be applied to other forms of clothes-lines, and I do not, therefore, wish to be limited to-tl1e employment of any specific material for the clothes-line.

The line will be stretched in the usual manner between supports; but as the supports form no part of the present invention they are not illustrated.

The improved device consists in a fastener for the clothes formed of a single piece of Wire, with an arched central grip-loop 11, bent into coils 12 13 at the sides of said loop, forming line-engaging eyes disposed perpendicular to the plane of the loop and adapted to embrace the line-wire 10 and entirely encircle it, as shown, so that the device, while slidable along the line-wire, cannot be removed therefrom. The perpendicular disposition of the line-engaging eyes forms hinges for the clothes-clamping members now to be described. Depending from the coils 12 13 are leg members 14: 15, the latter turned out- Serial No. 117,881. (No model.)

ward and thence backward toward the linewire and terminating in loops or hooks 16 17,

adapted to engage the line-wire on opposite sides of the central loop 11. The coils 12 13 thus form springs between the loop 11 and the leg members 14 15, and the latter will be so constructed relative to the coils that the hooked ends or loops 16 17 will stand normally out of alinement with the coils. From this it will be obvious that it will require some force to engage the hook members 16 1'7 with the line-wire, and this force forms the tension by which the clothes are held in place upon the line. The coils 12 13 being spaced apart and at the opposite sides of the loop 11 exert their force independently upon the leg' members 14 15, so that the opposite ends of the device are independently operative, whereby separate pieces of clothing may be independently connected to or detached from the opposite ends of the fastener. This is an important feature of the invention and adds materially to its usefulness and efficiency.

The coils may be increased in number, if

required; but generally one coil at each side of the loop 11 will be sufficient, as shown.

The coils will preferably engage the linewire with sufficient looseness to enable the device to be moved longitudinally of the linewire when the leg members are disengaged to adjust the device to the clothes to be supported.

In Fig. 1 the coils 12 13 are arranged with the leg members leading from the insides of the coils, so that the sides of the loop 11 will serve to hold the legs against spreading, while in Fig. 2 the arrangement is reversed, with the leg members extended from the outsides of the coils; but either form may be employed, and this modification would not be a departure from the principle of the invention, as the results produced and mode of operation would be substantially the same. The construction shown in Fig. 1 imparts to the leg members 14 15 a greater degree of resiliency than the construction shown in Fig. 2 and will generally be preferred on that account.

. In operating the device as many of the devices as may be required are strung upon the line-wires 10 by the coils 12 13, so that they will be at all times available for use and are movable along the line into position to engage the garments. As many of the devices may be employed as required, the unused devices remaining inoperative and not interfering with those in use.

The device is very easily operated and may be constructed to hold a garment with any desired degree of force to resist the action of the wind or the weight of the garment.

The wire from which the device is constructed may be of any desired gage, and the parts may be of any desired size and may be modified in minor particulars without departing from the principle of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is'- 1. A clothes-pin composed of a single piece of wire bent upon itself to form a grip-loop and coiled at the sides of said grip-loop to 20 form line-engaging eyes perpendicular to the plane of the loop, the wire being extended 'said coils said legs projecting in opposite directions therefrom and terminating in lineengaging hooks adapted to be independently engaged with a supporting-line on opposite sides of said grip-loop.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aifixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

AMZ I W. ALEXANDER.

Witnesses:

E. R. J OHNSON, C. P. WHEELER. 

